How to find success as a new game studio

Rahul Chudasama, Head of Business Development at Blaze Gaming, says new studios need to stand out across products, partnerships and more if they are to survive and ultimately thrive

Just how hard is it to launch a game studio in the current market?

This is a super competitive market with new studios launching each month and proclaiming to be the next big thing or to have a revolutionary mechanic that will change the game. The irony is that you really do need to bring something different to the table to succeed in such a competitive environment, and this is why we have developed our unique Bull Casino Trading Games which combine the fast-paced world of trading with a sleek and polished slot game. This “out of the box” thinking needs to go beyond games and to how the studio leverages its contacts and even how it presents itself at trade shows – we have gone big with our stand at key events such as SBC to ensure the industry knows that Blaze Gaming is here to make an impact.

What are the main challenges faced?

Credibility. Any new studio will be compared against the giants such as Playtech, Pragmatic Play and Evolution Gaming – although these were once new studios, too. So, for studios such as Blaze, it’s about convincing our partners that our games will be a great addition to their portfolios and that they can compete with titles from the biggest providers in the business – we just need a chance to go up against the titans and show what we can do. Another challenge is innovation – a new studio really does need to have strong USPs, and this can see some studios push the boundaries too far with concepts that players ultimately don’t engage with. That’s why our Bull Casino Trading Games have elements from casino games as this familiarity will be important to engaging players. Of course, we also need to balance this with a strong portfolio of proven casino games, and that’s why we offer slots, table and instant wins, too.

How has Blaze overcome some of these challenges?

We have had a clear and comprehensive marketing plan in place from day one, and this has allowed us to quickly establish Blaze Gaming in the minds of operators and aggregators. Distribution and operator partnerships are key for a new studio to survive – it’s all well and good creating fantastic games, but if casinos can’t stock them and players play them, they mean nothing. I’ve been able to dig into my deep commercial experience at companies such as Skywind to help Blaze push ahead in this regard, and we have a really strong roadmap of operator and aggregator integrations.

In terms of innovation challenges, our Bull Casino Trading Games are an entirely new concept and format that will hit the mark with a huge range of players. There’s nothing quite like betting on real historical financial data via games that are designed to be fast-paced and unpredictable, just like the stock market. We also focused on building out our portfolio of traditional casino games so that we provide a wide range of themes, RTPs, volatilities and mechanics, and have established a robust technological foundation for the business so that we can easily scale while ensuring quality and reliability at all times.

Just how important is having the right management team in place? Is this key to getting conversations started with operators and distribution providers?

In smaller organisations, management is crucial to guiding the business through the turbulent waters of its early months and years. If not managed properly, workloads can spiral out of control, costs and increase exponentially, targets can be missed and a bad culture can prevail. Having the right management empowers the team, allowing employees to be confident in their own decisions within an environment where everyone can contribute and, more importantly, be heard. And yes, the right senior team can help open doors with operators and distribution partners – an advantage that new studios need to leverage.

Is it important to have a unique product such as your Bull Casino Trading Games?

Absolutely. Without a unique product, how are you going to stand out against the hundreds of other studios creating great games? Bull Casino Trading Games have proven to be our Ace card and have allowed us to engage with operators and aggregators and to push our game into lobbies that without them, we would be unlikely to be in. Of course, having a balanced portfolio of traditional games has been just as important as this has allowed us to provide proven content to operators and players, too.

Once momentum is behind the studio, is it easier to keep growing or a new challenges encountered?

There are always challenges to overcome but the nature of these challenges changes once you are up and running. The demands of integrations, expanding the team, the constant battle of developing new games that resonate with players and staying on top of ever-changing regulations – these must all be dealt with in order to keep the momentum built. But these are good challenges to contend with and at Blaze, the entire team is committed to overcoming them, shifting the business up a gear and generating even more momentum as we become more established.

How is Blaze future-proofing and ensuring momentum continues to build behind the studio?

I am eagerly looking into new markets for us to enter and connecting with the right partners, plus ensuring we have a clear understanding of the rules and requirements we need to meet in each so we are fully prepared for go-live. It’s important to keep growing our game portfolio and we have a packed product roadmap for 2025 with some truly epic games set to hit the global market – we are also ambitiously pursuing new products and concepts that will become the next generation of casino games. In addition, forming the right partnerships is the key to long-term success and we continue to sign deals with truly great organisations that will help set the stage for the years to come.